MH lights

[fatmax]

Hello good people in AQ. We have here a huge pool of veterans as well as a group of budding talented AQians thus I post this topic for comments. Though dated however it has became very affordable due to the influx of newer technology...

As we go in search of a set of powerful beam focused dimmable all singing all dancing high powered LED... I suddenly recalled the last decade... where MH lights was the untouchables. .. it grows plants vibrant and bushy. .. imagine a pendant styled MH a decade ago hanging above your tank... simply fantangolicious!!!

Well lately I chanced upon some shops still carrying this kinda light, in fact my recent visit to the SUMIDA aquarium staring at Amano's work, he still uses MH! For those gurus whom has any user experience, I seriously urge you to help educate us young aquarist on the benefits u had experienced, perhaps also stumbles with it. For tech freaks whom have any knowledge in it, I am also eager to hear from you. All info welcome.

Thank you in advance.

[David]

It's a question of preference. Each type of lights has it's merits. Prior to MH there is the HQI.

You can still get MH quite easily just as much as you can still get FL, PL or T5 or T8.

At the end, it's up to the individual aquarist's preference.

[bennyc]

MH have strong peneration capabilities. But it consume quite a bit of electricity and gives off much more heat. Now we have 5w led lights so i believe the depth penetration should be comparable, the electric consumation and heat radiation should be lesser than MH.

[tawauboy]

the main advantage of LED light is that there is no IR being radiated in the direction of light output. however, a lot of heat is still being dissipated in the opposite direction of light.

[limz_777]

ada still doesnt have any high output lights , only aquasky led series so far , guess only their grand solar mh is the best choice

[thebaldingaquarist]

I feel its a matter of your requirements.

What are your requirements for the lights?

Cheap to buy?
Cheap to maintain?
Want it to be cool? (no aquarium lights i used run cool, but some run cooler than others)
want it to be stylish?
Want to find replacement for parts easily?
Want to be able to do fine grain control?


MH lights are still - in my opinionn - unbeatable now. So much output, the whole spectrum is boosted to high levels simply by virtue of the high output.

I would compare MH lights to InterContinental Ballistic Missiles or MOABs.
Big, powerful, destroys everything. and is wonderful if your lights are below clothes hanging areas indoors as your clothes dry very fast, sometimes even burn if not careful.

I won't touch on the details of why i feel its comparable. but if budget, heat temperature allows, i would recommend MH.

But as for ADA's tanks using MH, i feel that there are other reasons why he chooses MH lights. one of those reasons could well be because of the high output per watt.

[BFG]

Fatmax, sms lingo is highly frowned upon in this forum. You do have the ability to spell ' you ' correctly but you use ' u ' too.

On to your topic, the replies above have covered most of your question. However, if price is an issue to you, I would suggest saving up for what you want to purchase. I have seen tanks that uses mh for lighting but electrical consumption as well as the heat generated is the main drawback for mh usage. Plus the ever increasing in the utility rate puts a damper for this particular lighting method.